With unforgettable performances such as Moses in The Ten Commandments, the anguished astronaut George Taylor in 1968’s Planet of the Apes, and the eponymous Ben-Hur --- for which he won an Academy Award --- Charlton Heston cemented his place in the pantheon of 20th-century Hollywood royalty. But his fame as an actor was matched by his political activism. A Democrat in his early years, Heston became a staunch supporter of Richard Nixon and Reagan republicanism. He was also president of the National Rifle Association and an outspoken crusader for gun rights. At long last, Marc Eliot tells the story of Heston’s life and six-decade-long career in full detail.

As he did in his bestselling biographies of Jimmy Stewart and Clint Eastwood, acclaimed Hollywood biographer Marc Eliot digs deep beneath the myth in this revealing look at the most legendary Western film hero of all time; the man with the distinctive voice, walk and demeanor who was an inspiration to many and a symbol of American masculinity, power and patriotism.

Biographer Marc Eliot sheds new light on Jack Nicholson's life on and off the screen. From Nicholson’s working class childhood in New Jersey to raucous nights on the town with Warren Beatty and tumultuous romances, to movie sets working with such legendary directors and co-stars as Dennis Hopper, Stanley Kubrick, Meryl Streep and Roman Polanski, Eliot paints a sweeping picture of the breadth of Nicholson’s 50-year career in film, as well as an intimate portrait of his personal life.